newhope01

I woke up Tuesday morning with debilitating tummy pain. I went to the doctor and the first thing he asked me was how much I smoke and how much alcohol I consume. Kind of knocked me back as those were the first questions he asked me and caused me to develop anxiety over the pain I am experiencing.

They ran an upper GI scan and everything was normal. Now they are checking my blood for pancreatitis and ulcers. He said I wasn't consuming enough alcohol to have pancreatitis but he's checking for it anyway. After all, thats where his mind first went.

I won't have the test results until Monday.. Until then just have to deal with the pain.

Soberwolf

Good luck NH

LBrain

going to a doctor was good...

it took a couple months after I stopped drinking for my stomach pains to go away. Not to mention the foulness I excreted and eliminated. A miracle I tell ya.

Hope you feel better soon. It's funny they (Dr.s) seem to know...

Dee74

I hope they find whatever it is newhope

D

JanieJ

Best of luck, NH.

Hope it feels better real soon.

Fiona630

I take it you just went to your family doctor? I get pancreatitis. And I was told one time that I did not "look like" an alcoholic so it wasnt that..nice way to enable me doc. That was years ago. The recent trip I was told I don't drink enough for it to be pancreatitis but it was. Its not just alcohol tho. I was told if your gallbladder is enlarged it can lead to pancreatitis. Fatty foods can to. And there is no real diet to follow for pancreatitis except maybe a diabetic diet. My family dr takes forever to get results back. But if I go to the ER then they get results right away and usually admit me. My last stay was luckily only 1 night but I knew the routine. Clear liquids for a few days then small meals, light food, no fatty stuff..no anything good. lol. Im not giving medical advice..Im glad you went to see a doc, just giving my experience. Pancreatitis is no fun. I got really sick monday night..figured it was pancreatitis again..once you get it you always seem to know when its coming on, its its own kind of pain. But alcohol wasnt the factor since Im not drinking..44 days sober. I hope you get this figured out ASAP!

newhope01

Yeah, I haven't been drinking either for awhile but not as long as you have been sober for.

Not sure whats wrong.. just kind of wish I did. I went to urgent care as I don't like my primary care physician and didn't want to wait. I think I may switch to the doctor who has been helping me recently if he is accepting new patients.

Fiona630

Monday is a long way away..if your still in pain I would just go to the ER. At least there you will get some relief from the pain and they can run tests and get the results fast. If they want to admit you its usually for a good reason. For me last time it was because my potassium was super low and my lipase count was 7322. Normal is like 140-2something..hospitals have a certain high that is acceptable. They check lipase and amylase for pancreatitis. I stayed so they could make sure my lipase count would start to go down plus load me up on potassium which might I add SUCKS done by IV. lol For sure check on that doc that is helping you..if you don't like your primary doc your not going to trust anything they tell you. keep us updated! Tummy issues suck regardless of what they are.

newhope01

Thanks for sharing your experiences with me Fiona.. Since it seems like we went/are going through the same thing, it kind of has calmed me. As much as I would like fast results, I am not giving blood again. lol

Ill just wait till I get my results and if that test comes back negative too.. than I will go back to urgent care and set up an appointment for a new doctor. I don't know what else they can do though.. beside an endoscopy and I am just not ready for that..

newhope01

Got some of my blood test results back and they were all negative. The last test result is regarding my amylase and lipase levels checking for pancreatitis.. Part me is hoping this is the problem so at least I can work with my doctor toward a solution but the other part of me doesn't want that to be the problem either.

Not sure what to do about this if all my tests come back negative..

However I am feeling a little better, enough to go to the gym and I decided to go back to work. I just wish I knew what is wrong with me.

SoberLeigh

Hope that you have all the answers soon, newhope. In the meantime, hope you feel better.

Fiona630

Fingers crossed everything comes back negative! Is your pain gone? I had a cat scan for stones with my last attack. They came back with a normal pancreas even tho my levels were way high but my gallbladder was enlarged with sludge. I had a hida scan a few weeks ago. That checks to see if your gallbladder is functioning properly. Never heard back from my dr..they only call back if the results are bad. So I am assuming everything checked out from that. Maybe you should go have a complete physical..have them check you out completely..check your cholesterol and all that good stuff, if you haven't already. I am seeing that, with myself, that I can no longer eat big meals that are fatty and feel ok. It wrecks my stomach. I'm in pain until I get rid of whats in there one way or another. This could be a good thing as it will force me to eat better. Maybe its a side effect from all the boozing and now that I'm sober maybe the body is slowly cleansing itself. I don't know. I have noticed a lot of changes with my body since I quit drinking and a lot has been lately. Its crazy! Take care of yourself! PM me anytime.

Rachinator

I hope that you feel better, or at least have a reason behind it. I know it sucks to you it is the end of the world, in the dr's world just another day on the job. hugs and hopefully there is a resolution

strategery

Newhope, I am sorry to hear about your stomach pains and am glad you saw the doctor. I hope they can figure out what is going on. I would also agree with Fiona that if you're still in pain and/or if the pain gets any worse, go to the ER.

newhope01

Just got back my final test result checking my amylase and lipase levels and all negative.

No one is able to figure out what is wrong with my stomach.. this is annoying me.

I think that because they know about my prior substance abuse that now any health issue/symptom I have is going to be a direct result of that. Although, I really should be grateful that there are no major issues wrong (how lucky).. I need to focus on that.

Time to make an appointment with my primary care physician.

SoberLeigh

I am glad to hear that those levels were normal, newhope, but sorry to hear that you are still without a diagnosis.

I am guessing that your primary care doctor will explore other possibilities.

Have you never explored food intolerances?

newhope01

I have, I am starting to think it may just be too much acid and should steer clear from acidic foods. Which very well could of been the result of abusing alcohol! So maybe, I shouldn't be so annoyed about my doctor's intentions/assumptions.

I just don't know if I can say goodbye to coffee for good too.

SoberLeigh

It would be hard for me to give up coffee, too, newhope; it is practically my first thought in the morning.

hopeful4

I do know that with too much spicy and acidic in your diet it can cause your Gall Bladder to flare up in very strange places. Might be worth a try.

I hope you feel better!

Anna

I hope you feel better, but I get that you want to know what is going on.